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Blog Archives: February 2017

Five sweet verses stand out in 2 Corinthians 3:12-17. Here Paul talks about the veil that covered the face of Moses. He compares it to a veil covering the hearts of those who have not yet turned to the Lord.
The illustration of the veil comes from the Old Testament, specifically Exodus 34:34-35. Moses, as the leader of Israel and as the mediator between God and the people would go into the tent of meeting and speak to God. Scripture says that God spoke to Moses as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11).
After being in God’s presence ...

Word of the Week: Change
How do you react to the word “change”? Things are changing! Some people get a knot in their stomach and their anxiety rises when changes are coming. Other people experience a rise in their enthusiasm with a renovation of life’s circumstances. Perhaps others say, “Well, it depends on the change!” Everybody enjoys a pay raise, and that’s change!
How do you react to change? I’m typically more positive and see good things ahead with change, though occasionally I’m disinclined. Others have the opposite initial ...

In the hot Texas summer of 2001 I found myself in San Antonio for U.S. Air Force Basic Training. While I was only gone for seven weeks, it seemed like a lifetime had passed upon my return. The Air Force gave me a new haircut, a new wardrobe, and a ton of new information in a very short intense period of time. Coming to Orlando this week for church planter training has been a similar experience (without the new haircut and wardrobe).
The purpose of this week is to equip church planters with the tools they will need to successfully raise ...

Word of the Week: Frantic!
Frantic: wild or distraught with fear, anxiety, or other emotion
On a day before I leave for a few days of training, frantic sounds like a great word. Are your Mondays ever frantic? Are too many things in your inbox from last week, and you feel behind before you get started? We probably overuse the word frantic, as we aren’t quite “wild or distraught” for real. I have been frantic - once I had my neighbor knock on my door to tell me Caron and Anna had been in a car accident…. the longest ten-minute drive in ...

This past Sunday I gave a brief ministry moment on church planting in Pantops, Virginia.
Three years ago, Don wrote on my annual review, “I see senior pastor or church planter in your future.”
Last April he and I were talking and the possibility came up for Gina and I to attend MNA Church Planter Assessment. After a long application process including 4 different personality and marriage profiles and gathering 6 references for each of us, we spent a week at the MNA Assessment Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The Assessment center looks for the ...

Word of Week: Wow
Some days are “wow” days. I’m thankful for “wow” days, because so many days this side of heaven are challenging and difficult. So many of them leave us in the Psalms that ask the big questions of God - lament and sorrow - an honest sense that God has left us for this moment. So “wow” days are days to pause, be in awe, and say thanks. Sunday, February 5, 2017 was a “wow” day for me at Grace Community Church. I sensed the nearness of God in the early service as I looked in the eyes of His people and handed out the wine. Rest ...

Derek Kidner summarized the first part of Psalm 37 with three statements:
1. Look ahead!
2. Look up!
3. Be Constructive!
We’ve already taken a look at the first two statements (here and here), so it’s time to wrap up our look at this ancient Hebrew poem. Kidner makes his summary based on v. 3 that says “do good” and v. 8 that says “forsake wrath.” Those are the two sides of the coin in being constructive. Positively stated, we should do good rather than fret. Negatively stated, we should relinquish wrath.
If I’ve already looked ...